Bringing back the joy of everything Victorian...especially Classic Romance and Gothic Novels...and more!

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Sunday, June 14, 2009

Margaret Oliphant

A few weeks ago I read "Hester" by Margaret Oliphant. It was the first book I had read by her and it quickly became one of my all-time favorites. I thought it would be interesting to have a comprehensive list of her works, so listed below are what I believe to be all of her novels.

Novels by Margaret Oliphant

1849-Margaret Maitland1850-Merkland1851-Caleb Field1851-John Drayton1852-Adam Graeme of Mossgray1852-The Melvilles1852-Katie Stewart1853-Harry Muir1853-Ailieford1854-Magdalen Hepburn1854-The Quiet Heart1855-Zaidee1855-Christian Melville1856-Lilliesleaf1857-The Athelings1857-The Days of My Life1858-The Laird of Norlaw1858-Orphans: a Chapter in Life1858-Sundays1858-Agnes Hopetown's Schools and Holidays1860-Lucy Crofton1860-The House on the Moor1861The Last of the Mortimers1863-Heart and Cross1863-The Rector and the Doctor's Family1863-Salem Chapel1864-The Perpetual Curate1865-Agnes1866-Miss Marjoribanks1866-A Son of the Soil1866-Madonna Mary1868-Brownlows1869-The Minister's Wife1870-John: a Love Story1870-The Three Brothers1871-Squire Arden1872-At His Gates1872-Ombra1873-Innocent: a Tale of Modern Life1873-May1874-For Love and Life1874-A Rose in June1875-The Story of Valentine and his Brother1875-Whiteladies1876-The Curate in Charge1876-An Odd Couple1876-Phoebe Junior1877-Carita1877-Mrs Arthur1877-Young Musgrave1878-The Primrose Path1879-The Greatest Heiress in England1879-Within the Precincts1880-He that Will Not When He May1880-A Beleaguered City1881-Harry Joscelyn1882-In Trust1882-A Little Pilgrim in the Unseen1883-Hester: A story of Contemporary Life1883-It Was a Lover and His Lass1883-The Ladies Lindores1884-Sir Tom1884-The Wizard's Son1884-Madam1886-A Country Gentleman and His Family1886-Effie Ogilvie1886-A House Divided Against Itself1886-Oliver's Bride1887-The Son of His Father1888-Cousin Mary1889-Lady Car1888-Joyce1888-The Second Son1888-The Land of Darkness1889-Neighbours on the Green1889-A Poor Gentleman1890-The Duke's Daughter and The Fugitives1890-Kirsteen1890-The Mystery of Mrs Blencarrow1890-Sons and Daughters1891-Janet1891-The Railway Man and His Children1892-The Cuckoo in the Nest1892-Diana Trelawny1892-The Heir Presumptive and the Heir Apparent1892-The Marriage of Elinor1893-Lady William1893-The Sorceress1894-A House in Bloomsbury1894-The Prodigals and Their Inheritance1894-Who Was Lost and Is Found1895-Sir Robert's Fortune1895-Two Strangers1896-Old Mr Tredgold1896-The Two Marys and Grove Road1896-The Unjust Steward1897-The Lady's Walk1898-That Little Cutty1898-A Widow's Tale

Are you acquainted with Ms. Oliphant's work? Which would you recommend?

I am currently reading The Marriage of Elinor. In my opinion it is one of Mrs. Oliphant's finest novels. I heartily recommend it. It is available as a ebook from Project Gutenberg. Her stories of the Seen and the Unseen are very good ghost stories. Of these, Old Lady Mary is my favorite.

Both Phoebe Junior and Miss Marjoribanks are in print (Nonesuch and Penguin Classics respectively) and both are very good. The Sorceress, the Ladies Lindores and the Cuckoo in the Nest are very much worth hunting down- but are difficult to find.

www.mobileread.com has some Oliphant novels for free download. Some are formatted for ebook devices (e.g. Kindles); but some are in HTML format - Miss Marjoribanks, He That Will Not When He May, Madonna Mary, Hester.

I stumbled upon Miss Marjoribanks a year ago and fell in love with Mrs. Oliphant! I highly recommend the entire Carlingford series- I've read all except the last, Phoebe Junior. Some plod along at first-feel bogged down and bored then suddenly everything comes together and keeps picking up speed. Especially good was The Doctor's Family.